Rise of a New Ssundee
by gmstone1998
Summary: A sequel to The Sky is Not the Limit. New story, new enemies, and new allies! Team Crafted has suddenly gone missing, and it's up to a small band of misfits to get to the bottom of it!
1. Chapter 1

**Rise of a New Sun (dee)**

**Author's Note: This story is a sequel to "The Sky is Not the Limit". If you haven't read it yet, go do that now. Go on, go. Right now. GO!**

**Welcome back! I know it hasn't been long since I finished up SNL, but I couldn't stay away with all these new ideas flowing! Hopefully this one with be better than before, and not one of those crummy sequels that I know all too well. I've got BIG plans for this one, and tons of new people are going to be showing up. And I know this is a bit short, but the next one will be much longer, I will assure you! If you didn't guess from the title, we're going to start with Ssundee, and things go down right from the start. So without further ado, let's get this party started!**

A Quick Synopsis:

_In the world of Minecraft, the group known as Team Crafted was a small band of friends that protected its citizens from harm, and having as much fun as possible while doing it. Their enemies, the squids, had become smarter than ever, tricking Herobrine to join their army and hatching a diabolical plan to destroy the world. Luckily, with the help of Einshine and others, they were able to stop the squid's schemes. Upon returning home, they were hailed as heroes, and many became their loyal followers._

_It had been two years since Team Crafted had disbanded. Besides the occasional creeper, life was peaceful under the Sky Army's watchful protection. But all the while, conspiracies were brewing among the squids, who craved revenge on Team Crafted. With their new secret weapon, they will threaten to destroy the delicate balance of their world. But new heroes were emerging that would unite the Team once more against the squid menace, and save Minecraft once again._

**Ch. 1**

Far away, resting on the slopes of a distant mountain, sat a small laboratory. This was the home of Ssundee (or Ian to his friends), the world-famous (semi-mad) scientist. Also there was his assistant, the loyal and occasionally clumsy Einshine. The two were busy at work with another invention, this time with the promise that it would change the world. And because I am the always omniscient narrator of this tale, I can confirm that it will.

Einshine looked out the window, watching clouds pass by. He got up and looked over Ian's shoulder. "Hey Ian, what'cha doin'?" He asked with his usual youthful pep.

"Seeing what spit looks like under a microscope." Ian turned it off and faced him. "Are we ready to start the experiment?"

"I think so, but can you tell me what exactly we're doing?"

"You'll see." He ran over and grabbed his camera. "The fans will definitely want to see this." Clearing his throat, he turned it on and started to record. "Hey, what's going on guys, Ssundee here! I'm here with Shine, and we're about to do something pretty sick. You see this tank here?" He gestured to the large glass tank behind him. "We're going to take a sample host, and create an almost genetically like organism."

"So we're going to clone something?" Shine said excitedly. This was good news for him, seeing he was practically the area's delivery boy, on top of being Ian's fetcher of supplies. If he could clone himself, he wouldn't have to make long trips up and down the mountain anymore.

"Exactly. And we're going to start," he plucked a hair off his head, "with yours truly."He placed the sample in a glass tank that was surrounded by machines, and stood by the lever that started them. "Ready?" Shine ducked behind a counter, giving him a thumbs up. "Okay, let's do this!" Ian pulled down the lever, and retreated back to join him. The machines rumbled and sparked, feeding energy into the tank. Outside, lightning flew wildly in the air as a thunderstorm began to brew. A loose bolt struck the lab's lightning rod, charging the machines further. In fact, maybe a little too much. The machines began to smoke, not able to handle that much electricity. With a boom, they exploded.

As the dust cleared, they cautiously walked forward

"Oh geez...I must have calibrated the engines wrong..." Shine groaned.

"It's okay, we can fix that later." Ian went towards the tank, and peeked in to see what was in it. He jumped back in surprise to see an exact copy of himself. Same blue shirt, black jacket and pants. The only flaw was that Ian's iconic sunglasses did not copy onto it..

"He's...er, got your eyes." Shine commented, hiding a giggle. Without the shades, Ian's crossed eyes were fully visible on the clone.

Ian opened the tank door. "Come on out little Ssundee. It's okay."

The Ssundee clone glanced around, confused. Who am I? What am I? Why am I here?

"I can't get over his eyes. They make him look really derpy." Shine laughed.

"That's it! We'll call him Derp Ssundee. What do you think Derp?" Ian asked.

Derp Ssundee's eyes began to glow, and he levitated slightly off the ground.

Ian backed up. "What the freak..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch. 2**

Off in a grassland, there was a small farming village that was a part of Sky's kingdom. As the sun rose on a new day, people slowly began to awake for their daily duties.

"Back to the ol' grind." Ryan sighed, taking his iron pickaxe and helmet and heading outside. Like many others in his town, he worked in the mines, harvesting precious ores and minerals for use in the market and trade. As he walked down the gravel path, he met up with his two good friends, Tyler and Steven. Tyler was an experienced miner, and a loyal friend who was well known in the community. And Steven, well, not much was known about him; he didn't talk much. Steven was Tyler's roommate, and along with his typical blue striped shirt, a zombie and an enderman usually followed him around, which he had named Dave and Burt, respectively. The mobs never meant any harm though (usually), so people generally ignored them.

_Why do I feel so weird today?_ Ryan thought as he hit the stone wall with his pickaxe. "Hey Tyler."

"Yep?" Tyler and Steven were in the middle of mining some coal. Steven dropped down chunks of the material to Tyler, who then placed coal into a minecart.

"Do you think...do you think that there's more to life than this? Mining all the time?" Ryan sighed, looking at his pick.

"Yeah, definitely. It gives a good paycheck though." Tyler replied, not looking up.

"I feel like I need to do something, you know? Get out there and make a difference in the world. But how can I do that?"

Tyler got out of his hole and pointed to a cobblestone block someone had tossed aside. "Okay, you see that block?"

"Yeah, we throw those out all the time." Ryan shrugged.

"You're missing the point here. Say that this block represents how you normally think."

"Like a rock?"

"Focus. This rock is normal, ordinary, dull, whatever you wanna call it. But, you need to think outside the block." He gestured his hands around it for emphasis.

"Think outside the block, huh? Catchy. But what does that have to do with me?" Ryan tapped his foot.

"Oh geez..." Tyler sighed, losing his patience. "Okay, so you said you want to make a difference, right?" He went to grab a paper from the news stand. "Go help some people. Do stuff for the greater good, change the-"

"Hey, check this out!" Ryan pointed to the front page article. "Heroes disappear...never seen since Sunday...WHAT? Team Crafted is gone?!" At this, the other miners froze and turned.

Tyler snatched the paper and continued reading. "'The famous team of adventurers all mysteriously vanished last Sunday. Many suspect that the disappearances of the team had all been conducted by one or more groups, seeing that no prior arrangements had been made, and the only event scheduled for that day was a livestream from Ssundee, which was canceled after the camera was turned off.' Oh yeah! I was there for that!" Tyler remembered. "The screen went fuzzy after Ian turned on his cloning machine."

"You don't think the squids could be behind this, could they?" Ryan suggested.

"The members of Team Crafted spread out to pretty diverse places after the war, so the squids might have recruited help to travel the different terrain and carry out the attacks. Skeletons, endermen, zombies...they could have any number of mobs at their disposal." Tyler shrugged. Steven gave a protesting frown. "But probably not yours." He assured.

"Well whoever it is, we need to do something!" Ryan insisted.

Later that evening, Ryan was at home sifting through his supplies, packing them into a backpack.

"Are you sure you're wanting to do this?" Tyler questioned through the telephone.

"C'mon Tyler, are you with me or against me?"

"Yeah, I am...but I think we should think this through first. I mean, we don't even know who we're dealing with. What if it's something we can't handle?"

"Okay, how about this. You know that guy the kids talk about? The one who lives out in the woods and supposedly does voodoo and stuff? He might be able to tell us. Meet me at the gates in about ten minutes."

"Wait, we're going now?"

"Yes now! We don't have any more time to waste! And take Steven with you; he could use the social interaction." As he finished packing, his eyes fell on an old Batman costume laying in his closet. "Hmm…"

Minutes later, Tyler and Steven snuck through the gates and, true to his word, Ryan was waiting, stone sword in hand.

"What's with the suit?" Tyler asked, seeing Ryan in his Batman costume. When he was little, Ryan would pretend he was Batman and 'fight crime' in his village. Wearing that suit, he felt like he was invincible.

"Uh, so I can blend in with the shadows. Yeah."

The three then made their way through the forest, trying to stay on the path near the torches, where mobs would not be near. Ryan didn't tell them, but this was his first time out in the forest at night, and his weak stone sword didn't assure him very much.

"There it is. That's the cabin." Tyler motioned. It looked run-down and abandoned, with vines and crumbling stone all around. "Maybe he's not home. Let's go guys."

Ryan held him back, and went to knock on the door. It creaked open, but no one was inside. "Okay, that was a little creepy." He commented, but motioned for the others to come. The inside was a little better, with bookshelves lining the walls, but the absence of light made it hard to see where they were going. They found a room with a black caldron in the center and glass bottles strewn around. Behind the pot was a man in a purple cloak, turned away from them.

"State your name, informal and formal." The man said, his tone ominous.

"Um..." Ryan stuttered. "I am Ryan, or xrpmx13."

Tyler stepped up next. "I-I'm Tyler, or Logdotzip." Pulling his friend over, he gestured, "and this is Steven, or Slamacow."

"Yes...I've seen you three before." He acknowledged, and turned to face them, revealing him to be young and about their age. "What can I do for you?" He said in a more cheerful tone.

"No way..." Tyler gasped.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"He's Setosorcerer, the famous wizard! They say that he knows everything about Minecraft!" Tyler exclaimed in wonder. "Is it true that you were once in Team Crafted?"

Seto nodded, frowning slightly. "That is true. I was in their group for a while."

"What made you quit?" Tyler asked.

"I'd...rather not talk about it. I know why you are here though. You wish to rescue Team Crafted, am I correct?"

"Yes, can you help us?" Ryan asked.

Seto sighed, looking down. _I could never show my face in front of them, not after how we last parted._ "No, I'm afraid not. But..." He walked over to his supplies, searching for a suitable object, but all he could find was a watermelon. "Well, I guess it will do..." He set it on the ground, and after muttering a couple spell words, casted a charm on the melon. It started to grow arms and legs and a square-like head. Then it grew a tropical shirt and shorts, and when Seto put on it some spare 3D glasses for eyes, the watermelon sprang to life, Frosty the Snowman style.

"Hiya! The name's Bashur!" He greeted enthusiastically, laughing in an unnaturally high voice.

"Oh boy..." Seto sighed, realizing what he had just created. "I apologize in advance. Bashur will guide you to the castle in the north. There you must seek out the Hero of the Lance."

"Sounds like a pretty important dude. So he'll be able to take us to where the team is captured?" Ryan asked, scooting uncomfortably away from the watermelon.

"That's right! Now listen here folks," Bashur addressed, putting on a cowboy hat and taking on a southern accent, "we're goin to that castle out yonder, and I don't want to hear no bellyachin! Hey, cosplay boy!" He looked at Ryan, who was still talking with Seto. "Let's get this cattle train movin!"

Seto shook his head with a trace of amusement. "Again, I'm sorry."

"No no, he'll be great. We've always needed a talking watermelon with MPD in our group anyway." Ryan replied with sarcasm. Seto waved as the group left, and wished them the best of luck in their travels.

**Author's Note: Who knew that so many characters could appear in one chapter? **Yeah, I know, not a lot of action here, but in the next chapter we'll get to see what really happened to the TC, so stay tuned!****


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **

**...snore…huh? What? I haven't updated in a month? Oh, hehe, sorry. School just ended for me, and I needed to take a break from thinking for a bit. **

**So I bet you all are wondering: "Waa, Team Crafted is captured? How could this be? What ever could have happened?" Oh, you're not thinking that? Well, um, just pretend. Ahem...here we'll see what happened to the group, who if you remember, all were noticed missing at around the same time of Ian's little experiment accident. **

**Ch. 3**

TEAM CRAFTED KIDNAP LIST

_**X**_ _HuskyMudkipz_

Quentin was lounging on a lily pad, sunbathing in the midday sun. Unlike the other members of the team, who would have hesitated being surrounded by their enemy's natural habitat, Quentin was completely at home in his secluded pond in the wilderness. Besides, even if the squids did try any mischief in _his_ pond, he could simply ignite the many underwater TNT that he had set up. So, with his afternoon completely free, he figured that this was the best way to spend the weekend. Sometimes, a Mudkip just needed to relax.

He heard the shuffling of feet by the shore, which he quickly understood to be human. _Mitch? Adam?_ Opening an eye, he peered in that direction. It wasn't anyone he recognized. "Can I help you?" Before he could examine the figure closer, a pokeball was thrown at him and landed at his feet. "Uh oh…" The ball burst open, and white light dragged him inside and closed. It shook three times, then stopped. The Mudkip was caught.

* * *

_**X**_ _SkythekidRS/Deadlox/MinecraftUniverse_

"Haha, Ty, you're better at parkour in real life than on the computer!"

"Hey, at least I'm not purposely hitting people off!"

"Guys, is now a bad time to say that I'm at the end?"

Adam, Ty, and Jason were all playing Minecraft, a blocky, low-quality game Ian had invented. The three had recorded playing the game together and posted videos on a website called Youtube. They got pretty popular on that site, Adam being one of the most subscribed members. Currently, they were on a parkour map made by xrpmx13, an amateur map-maker, but still managed to keep the three frustrated for the past two hours.

"Guys, can we stop the recording for a minute? I need to get some soda." Adam asked, coughing for emphasis.

"Okay sure, go run away and cry your tears of defeat." Ty laughed. Rolling his eyes, Adam took off his headphones and got up, stretching.

As he bent over looking through his fridge, he heard his doorbell ring. _Aw c'mon, all I wanted was a root beer… _Sighing, he went to answer the door. Before he knew it, a rag of chloroform was shoved in his face, and he was knocked out instantly.

* * *

"Hey Jason, what do you think's keeping Sky?" Ty asked, boredly spinning around in his chair.

"No telling. It's been at least thirty minutes."

"I think I'll go run by his place, see if everything's okay. Be right back." Ty left his computer and went to his garage, where his red ferfari was waiting. He liked to take joyrides around the country in his sweet ride, going as fast as he pleased without retribution. This time though, he just needed to drive to Sky's castle and see if everything was on the up-and-up.

Ty winced as he felt the left side of his face sting. He shrugged it off. _Probably nothing. _As he backed out, he looked through his rear-view mirror, and that was when he noticed a figure crouched behind him. With a firm hit to the head, he was out.

* * *

_Okay, this is getting weird. Where are they? _Jason had already tried texting the Adam and Ty, but neither had responded. The later it got, the more he worried. _I'm sure it's nothing, but maybe I should go head down and see what's going on. _He rose and grabbed his blue spacesuit, along with his jetpack. His pets Jeffrey the pig and Dillon the bat then came in the room, confused expressions on their faces.

"Don't worry guys, I'm just going out for a while. I'll be back soon. Dillon, you're in charge." Dillon smiled and looked at Jeffrey with a sneer.

Jason put on his helmet, flipped the latch that closed it, and left his base, moonwalking out into open space. It was eerily quiet, so he turned on music that played through his headset. He liked to play around with music, and had already posted an album of selfmade dubstep music. He fired up his jetpack and blasted off towards his rocketship landing pad._They're probably just playing around in the castle and got sidetracked. _Jason reassured himself.

His helmet suddenly flipped open. _What?! _The cold emptiness of space hit him, and he frantically tried to close it, but the latch was strangely malfunctioning. Losing oxygen, he passed out, hitting the ground with a light thud.

* * *

_**X**_ _BajanCanadian/JeromeASF_

"Mitch! We've got two on our tails!"

"Don't you worry Jerome, just follow me!"

Two figures ran through the forest, who were none other than Mitch and Jerome. They were in the middle of a round of their famous Hunger Games, and as they sprinted through the forest, they ducked inside a shed for cover and froze until they heard their pursuers go away.

Panting, the two checked their wristbands, an invention of Ian's, that told them their health, players still in the game, and the time left in the match. As Mitch adjusted his armor, Jerome was bent over, looking inside a chest.

"Anything good?" Mitch took off his helmet and fixed his spiky brown hair, frowning at his hat-hair but ignoring it. Grinning, Jerome pulled out two paintball guns. "Aw yeah, we're stacked! Not as good as Betty, but it'll do!" The two armed themselves and took off into the forest once more.

"So, there are a few more people left, so we should probably-" Mitch felt a sharp blow hit his helmet, and his wristband vibrated to show he had taken damage. "Get down!" The two hit the dirt and spotted a sniper shooting at them in the trees. Mitch pulled out his gun and shot once, twice, three times, and that person was out of the game.

"You alright Mitch-buddy?" Jerome asked, helping him up.

"Yeah, he took off a couple hearts though." He frowned at his wristband, but then noticed, "There's only three left in! That means there's only one other guy, and..."

"We're going to deathmatch!" The two cheered excitedly. Their bracelets began to glow, indicating that they were about to be teleported to the center. This was technology they had borrowed from Jason, who had been experimenting with endermen pearls.

In a few moments, they found themselves back at the center of the playing field, where the cornucopia (which had long been repaired after the war) stood proudly. The two then got to see their target opposite from them, a young brunette girl with warm brown eyes and hair pulled in a tight ponytail. She appeared to be harmless, but as they had already learned before, you should never underestimate your enemy. The two darted off their pedestals and ran at her, going around the cornucopia from both sides. Even when they were just feet away, the girl made no movement, and only smiled at them.

_Okay_... _this is starting to get creepy..._ Mitch cocked his paintball gun. _Let's just get this over with._ Right as he did this however, the girl frowned, and their weapons suddenly flew from their hands. The girl's eyes flashed dark blue, and they knew no more.

* * *

**So yeah… I just thought I'd fill you guys in on what happened before I went any further. This was a bit rushed, but my sister had been badgering me like none other for the past week, so I tried to hurry and finish this before school let out. Well, I failed by one day. **

**Ever heard of that urban myth called 'Killer in the Backseat'? The story goes that a woman was driving alone at night when the car behind her starts flashing his lights and tailgating her. This guy was starting to get on her nerves, so she pulled into a gas station to get off the road. She realized too late that the man in the car was trying to warn her that there was a man hiding in her backseat, who promptly killed her when she pulled over. Moral of the story? Don't judge someone based on appearance. Uh, anyway, Deadlox's situation was somewhat based off of that. All creepiness aside, I've got the next chapter pretty much planned out, so it shouldn't be long before I post again. So...stay tuned! **

**By the way, the misspelling of 'ferfari' was intentional. ;) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Okay, all I'm going to say about this chapter is, I'm sorry. I had to make this, or else this idea will not let me sleep at night. So, um, yeah, enjoy and stuff. **

**Ch. 4**

"When we last met our heroes, they were on their way to the castle in the north, with a handsome watermelon named Bashur as their guide. Who knows what perils will await them on their-"

"Okay, Bash, can you just cut it out?" Ryan snapped, taking Bashur's microphone.

"Aw, what's the matter? Everyone loves a good announcer voice." Tyler laughed.

"Nothing, his voice just drives me nuts. It's giving me a headache." Ryan shook his head and turned to Tyler. "Are we even getting close yet?"

"We should close be by now...hey...do you hear that?" Tyler said, glancing around.

A voice was heard muttering close by. _You thought you could escape me…_ They looked around, but the only thing they saw was a pig. It had a bandana tied around its head, and it glared at them.

"Is that pig...talking?" Ryan said, confused. "He must be kidding."

_Ninja pig does not kid. Look out for me…I'm everywhere… _

"Ninja...pig?"

_Ninja pig is not passive! Ninja pig takes no prisoners..._

"Um...let's just go…" Ryan motioned for them to come and they started to walk around the pig.

_Oink… Oink… Oink… _The pig began to follow them, slowly at first, but then gaining speed. Soon, the group was running as the ninja pig relentlessly chased them through the forest.

_We need to lose this pig somehow...c'mon Ryan, think!_ He looked around for any place they could escape. _Oh hey, is that a mansion? Perfect! _"Follow me guys!" He ran down to a run-down building in the woods and pushed one of the heavy oak doors open. "Go go go!" Once they were in, he pushed it shut. Outside, he could hear the pig's grunts and oinks on the other side, but could not find a way in. It eventually gave up.

Ryan suddenly blushed. _Did we really just run from a stinkin' pig? _"So...we never speak of this again?"

"Agreed." Tyler nodded. "Well, let's not stay here much longer. This place gives me the creeps." He went to open the door, but it would not open. "What? Guys, gimme a hand here!" They all pulled with all of their strength, but the doors would not budge. Even the windows seemed to be unbreakable. "Alright, this is getting freaky. What is going on here?" Tyler muttered, getting nervous. The dusty cobwebs and dim lighting gave an ominous feel to the place.

"There has to be another way out. C'mon, let's go." The sound of their footsteps echoed down the hallways, disrupting the slumber of various creatures like mice and spiders. "Whoever lived here must have been stacked." Ryan said, noting all of the expensive paintings and suits of armor bordering the hallways.

"Look at the size of this place! I bet my 16 million children could fit in here." Bashur said. The others looked at him in confusion. "What?"

A figure suddenly turned the corner. He was pale young man with worn clothes and shaggy blonde hair that fell into his blue eyes. He was extremely startled upon seeing the group, and gave a girly yelp and jumped behind a dead plant.

"Uh...who are you?" Ryan asked him.

"Touché. How'd you get in here?"

"We were...uh...that's not important. We're just trying to get out of here. Would you know how?"

"Well, hate to disappoint, but there is no way out of here. Once you enter this mansion, you're stuck."

"What? There's no way! There has to be an escape somewhere!" Tyler exclaimed.

The man shook his head. "I've looked everywhere, but I have yet to find it. I've been trapped here for over eight months. Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself." He brushed himself off and stepped out. "My name is Felix. Well, since you all are going to be here for a while, would you like to meet some of my friends?"

_More people? Maybe one of them knows where the northern castle is. _"Sure. Lead the way." The group followed Felix down some twisting corridors, and ended at a small bedroom. But Ryan didn't see any people, only a bed, closet, and a desk.

"Hey guys! I'm back. Look who I brought!" Felix greeted.

_Who is he talking to? _Ryan wondered.

Felix dragged a chair out in front of them. "Everyone, this is Mr. Chair. He's a little shy around new people." He then picked up a small rock that was sitting on a desk. "Oh, and here's Jennifer. _I love you Pewdie! _I love you too Jennifer, but I have a girlfriend!" Setting the rock down on the chair, he pointed to the corpse of a pig that was laying in the corner. "Say hello Piggeh. _I'm so pumped! _Yeah I know you are Piggeh, just calm down you freakin' psychopath." Finally he grabbed a small golden statue. "And here's my good friend Stephano. _Ellos, Pewdie. You are an idiot._ Hey, that's not nice to say around guests. Now, who did you guys say you were again?"

Ryan was speechless. _Alright, this guy's lost it. _"We're, uh, just some travelers passing through. Now if you would excuse us, we'll just be going."

"I wouldn't if I were you. It's getting late, and monsters come out at night." Felix warned, holding Stephano. "_It is true. And I know everything._"

"I'm sure we'll be fine. See you." Ryan left the room, the others following.

As they walked across the darkening halls, Tyler sighed. "You know, Felix wasn't that bad of a guy. He seemed pretty nice."

"Dude, he was talking to a dead pig. I think he needs to get another cat scan." Ryan frowned. "Now let's just try and get out of this place." A low growl echoed through the hall. They froze.

"Please tell me that was Dave." Tyler said, turning to Steven's zombie friend. But Dave only stood there playing his Gameboy. A louder growl came, this time accompanied by slow, heavy footsteps. "What-"

Ryan shushed him, then spotted the creature at the end of the hallway. It was human in form, though it was bald and covered in stitches and loose ropes. It's eyes loosely bulged, and it's jaw was unattached on one side so that it hung freely open. It's left hand was not even a hand, but a large claw. And as it looked around, its eyes rested on the petrified group.

"Run!" Ryan exclaimed, turning around. With the speed of an ocelot, they sprinted down the hall, but found it was a dead end. With the creature getting steadily closer, they looked for any possible escape, but there was none.

Seeing no other option, Ryan pulled out his stone sword, his arm shaking. _Will I be able to hold him off? No, there's no way. At least I'll go down fighting. _

A whistle came from behind the creature, who was none other than Felix, holding Stephano in one hand and a lantern in the other. .

"Hide! I'll distract him!" He waved his lantern around and hollered, "Hey Bro! Over here!" The Bro growled and began stumbling after Felix. "Uh oh... _Run Pewdie! He's coming!_ I know Stephano! Let's go!" Felix took off, taking the light with him. Once the Bro had left the hallway, they split up, running to various rooms.

Ryan went into the first room, and slammed the door shut. "Whew..." He sighed. Blinking in the darkness, he ducked behind some barrels. _Looks like this is a wine cellar. Hopefully the others found a place to hide._

"That's was close, huh?"

"Aaaah!" Ryan yelped, jumping. Bashur's head was poked out of an empty barrel. "Bash, don't do that!"

"Shhh! You'll give us away!" Ryan rolled his eyes and crouched down, listening. In the quiet, he could faintly hear fast footsteps. Their door swung open and closed, revealing a breathless Felix leaning against the wall.

"Oh, hey guys. Gosh dang, I hate these barrels. Anyway, I think I pretty well lost that Bro." He set down his lantern and sat down next to them. "Where'd those other guys go?"

"Must've gotten separated while running. They should be fine though." Ryan said. Looking at him now, Ryan thought Felix seemed very familiar in some way. _Where have I seen him before? _"Say, you wouldn't happen to be a Youtuber, would you?"

"Why yes. In fact, before I ended up here, I was pretty popular. Online, I was known as Pewdiepie." Felix said, putting emphasis on the first syllable.

"No way…" Ryan gasped, his eyes widening. "How did I not recognize you before? Dude, you're a legend! When you stopped posting videos, people got really worried about you. I'm a Youtuber as well; could you give me some advice, how to get famous like you did?"

"Haha, well, all I can say, is that you should be true to yourself, no matter how many followers you get. Because either behind or away from that computer screen, you're still the same person, and no amount of fame can change that."

"Gee, thanks Pewdie, I mean, Felix." Ryan stammered, starstruck. "It really means a lot. Hey, wait, I think I just got an idea on how to escape here!"

"Seriously? Well c'mon bro, say it!"

"Okay, Steven's friend Burt is an enderman, right? Maybe he can teleport us out!"

"That's brilliant!" Felix exclaimed. "Let's go find him and get out of here!" They jumped up and went to the door, but froze when they heard slow footsteps.

_It's that Bro again! _They backed away from the door, and Felix leaned towards them and whispered, "We'll have to cause a distraction to get him to leave. Any ideas?"

Ryan pondered what to do, and suddenly got something. "Bashur."

"Yup?" He said, who was drinking from one of the barrels.

"We need you to get out there and be a distraction."

"Distraction?"

"Yes...make a lot of noise and get that Bro out there to follow you. Got it?"

"Yes sir Batman sir!" Bashur saluted, and threw open the door. "Heeeeeeeey Brooooooooo! Look at meeeee! Bet you can't catch me!" The trick worked; the Bro began to chase after Bashur. "That's right Bro! Run run as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the watermelon man! Woo-hoo!"

Felix and Ryan watched the Bro leave, then went about searching for Tyler and Steven. They checked every room, but they were nowhere to be seen. One of the knight's armor began to squeak. Felix jumped in surprise. "I knew I couldn't trust those things!"

"Uh...Tyler?" Ryan asked, looking up. The knight's head creaked open, and Tyler's head popped out.

"Oh, hey guys." Steven, Burt, and Dave then looked out of theirs. "Don't ask okay; it was Steven's idea." Once they were out of the armor, Ryan explained his idea. "Yeah, I'm sure Burt could do that, right Steven?" Steven exchanged looks with Burt, and the two nodded. "Great! But where's Bashur?" Ryan looked down, trying to look innocent. A yelp came from the other end of the hall, and Bashur turned the corner, frantically running with the Bro in pursuit. "Ryan, what did you _do_?"

"Okay guys, get ready to teleport. Get close everyone." Felix instructed.

Bashur tripped, hitting the wood floor with a thump. Seeing the opportunity, the Bro grabbed him and bit him on the back of his head, all the while Bashur screaming, "Aiiiiieeeeee!"

_Bash! No! _Ryan ran forward with his sword and cut at the Bro's leg, causing him to drop Bashur. The Bro was not used to getting attacked back, and ran away, frightened. "Bash, are you okay?"

"Oooooooo…" Bashur put his hands on his head and winced. Ryan helped him up and brought him to the group, where Felix was counting down. "3...2...1...Now Burt!" The enderman sent out purple sparkles around them, and the group vanished.

Moments later, they found themselves outside of the mansion. Felix breathed in the fresh air, savoring the smell of the grass and the twinkling of the stars above them. _I…can't believe I'm free…_

Tyler, Ryan, and Steven gathered around Bashur, who was dizzy and gradually stood up. "Whoa...what happened?" He felt the back of his head and jumped. "Ah! My brain's gone! Oh wait, I never had one! Haha!"

Tyler laughed and took off his miner's helmet. "Here, you can wear this."

"Thanks bud!" Bashur cleared his throat and began impersonating him. "My name is Zipadeedoodah, and I eat coal for breakfast!"

Tyler caught Ryan smiling, and nudged him. "See, I knew you cared about Bash."

Ryan looked away. "His laugh is still annoying. Besides, we still need a guide to get us to the castle."

"Sure, whatever you say." Tyler said, punching him playfully.

After they had had their fun, the group then said goodbye to Felix.

"What are you going to do now?" Tyler asked him.

"Well, I think I'll head back home. I'm sure my girlfriend Marzia misses me." Felix held out his hand and fistbumped all of them, and they parted to go their separate ways. When Ryan looked back, he thought he could see the outline of golden man with a sword next to Felix, but shook his head. _That mansion must be messing with my head. I need to get some sleep. Yeah, that's it. _

**...hehehe...Yeah, I know, you guys will be saying, "What the heck? What's with Pewdiepie? He doesn't play Minecraft!" Well excuse me, go look at Pewdie's first ever Youtube video. **_**Minecraft**_**. At least, that's my excuse for adding him. Eh, well, I regret nothing. Any of you guys in the Bro Army? **


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hey guys, how's everyone's summer going? Band practices are coming up for me (woop woop!) along with many other things, so I made it a goal to finish this chapter before the craziness starts. I apologize if these last couple chapters have been, well, lackluster, but now we're finally going to get this plot moving! Yay! And guess what? More new characters! Yay! I promise there won't be any more. Actually, I can't promise that. On with the story!**

**Ch. 5**

The small band of misfits now continued to trudge along northward as the landscape and climate turned from mild to bitterly cold winter. In the deepening snow, they shivered and cursed themselves for not dressing warmer.

"Hey, is that it?" Tyler squinted, putting a hand over his eyes. It was hard to make out with the swirling snow, but it was in fact the northern castle they had been searching for. Excited and relieved for finally reaching their destination (and frankly, needing some warmth at this point), they shuffled through the snow towards the castle.

Ryan stopped in his tracks, sniffing the air. "Do you guys smell something?"

"I don't have a nose." Bashur shrugged. "But even if I did, it'd be frozen by now."

Tyler nodded. "It's like...steak...or porkchops. And it's close too, but where would it be coming from?"

Ryan walked up to the snow-covered walls of the castle and brushed off some snow, revealing the castle to be made of various meats.

"Oh groooossss!" Bashur cringed. "That's disgusting!"

_A castle made of meat?_ Ryan wondered. _This was where Seto told us to go? Oh boy, if this is the place, there's no telling who this 'Hero of the Lance' guy will be like._

They found what appeared to be the front gate, and knocked loudly, trying not to gag from the texture of the door.

"Helloooo?" Tyler hollered. "We're here to see th-" He was cut off when the ground suddenly collapsed from beneath them, and they all fell into blackness.

* * *

"Oooooo..." Adam slowly gained consciousness, looking around at where he was. _Huh? Where in the...?_ Solid stone bricks surrounded him on three sides, with only a bed and toilet as furniture. The last side was made of iron bars and locked iron door, and he could see through it to other cells across from him. _Am I in...jail?!_ There was a barred window behind him that revealed the outside, and upon looking out, he saw that this building was in the middle of the ocean, and rough waves crashed onto the island's jagged rocks. Disheartened, Adam left the window, and tried to remember what he had been doing before he ended up here. _I don't have any tools on me...must have been confiscated._ Panic came over him as he felt a weight missing from his neck. _My amulet!_

"Pssst...Adam...over here..."

A hushed voice came from another window. He sighed a breath of relief as he recognized his best friend Ty in the cell next to his, looking through the bars. "Ty! You're here too? Where the heck are we?"

"I have no idea. What happened to you when you disappeared?"

"Ditto. I don't remember anything. Is there anyone else here?"

"Yeah, I saw Jerome, Ian, and Mitch in the other cells. I don't know where Jason or Quentin is though."

"Aw man, I don't like this." Adam groaned, anxiety obvious on his face. He worried not only for his friends, but the unknown fate that soon awaited them.

"Me too. But hey, we've been worse off before. We can get out of this easy." Ty assured, looking confident.

Adam smiled, grateful for Ty's relentless hope. "Well, I'm sure I'll come up with an escape plan first." He challenged.

"You're on." Ty laughed, nudging him through the bars. _See, that's the Adam I know._

Their conversation was cut off when Derp Ssundee teleported into the center of the jail. He was dressed in a warden's outfit, and carried a baton in his left hand. "I want to play a game."

* * *

"Ow...what the heck..." Ryan dug his way out of the fallen snow, seeing the hole from where they had fallen far above them. "You guys okay?" Tyler nodded, and Steven and the two mobs gave a thumbs up. "Where's Bash?"

Bashur poked his head out of the snow. "Wow, what a ride! Let's do it again!"

Without warning, the hole suddenly sealed up, and they were left in darkness.

A voice spoke out into the blackness. "Who goes there? Amigo, or...um...or foe?"

Ryan couldn't tell where the voice was coming from, but he replied, "We're just travellers. We were sent by Setosorcerer to see a man called The Hero of the Lance. We need your help."

"Oh." The lights flipped on, and they saw before them a redheaded man in shredded and torn clothes, as if he had gotten into a fight with a bear. "I was hoping for a foe so I could test out my machine gun. Oh well, follow me."

Seeing no other choice, they got up and entered the castle, where they found the interior also to be made of meat. Even the furniture. He reclined at the head of the dining table, eating bacon off of a plate. "So, what's your names?" After telling him, he nodded. "Never heard of any of you. No matter. Call me Lancey."

"Okay Lancey, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to you?" Tyler wondered, noting his tattered appearance.

Lancey leaned forward, and spoke to them in a whisper. "So there I was, mining in the Deep Dark Dimension, minding my own business. Right when my back was turned, BAM! I was attacked! Now, Ssundee will probably think different when I tell him, but I think it was a-"

"Wait, did you say Ssundee?" Ryan interrupted. "You know Ian?"

"Of course I do! Me and Ian are homies. On Friday me and him are going to head down to Lapisipolis and shoot the breeze."

_Does he not realize what's been going on?_ "Uh, Lancey, have you talked with Ian recently?" Tyler asked.

"No, but we made plans last week. Hopefully we'll be able to raid some helpless villagers while we're there."

"Lancey, something's happened. Ian, and the rest of Team Crafted, have been kidnapped." Ryan explained.

"What? No way. He may be scatterbrained, melodramatic, and a complete clutz, but Ssundee don't get captured. Just watch, I'll call him right now." He pulled out his phone and dialed Ian's number, and waited as the tone continued to ring until the answering machine came on. His confident expression faded, and he hung up. "But...he always answers his phone..."

"We were told that you would have an idea as to where they are being held." Ryan said expectantly.

Lancey was distraught. "How would I know? Ian's gone to who knows where with who knows what after him, and we've still got a Blair Witch problem to deal with, and-" He stopped. "Wait. The prison." He darted over to a cabinet and rummaged through various maps. "Me and Ian built this prison back in the day, and we used to keep all of our hijacked prisoners in there. Aha! Here it is." Lancey showed them an old blueprint with the dimensions for a large building. It specified a wide area for two stories of cells, twisting hallways that led into a library, kitchen, mess hall, and boxing arena, and finally, a luxurious warden's office. "We haven't been back in ages, so there's no telling who might've taken it over by now."

"This must be it. This was what Seto was talking about. Well, where is it? Just tell us where and we'll be on our way." Ryan insisted.

"That's the thing; we built the prison in the middle of the ocean so that no prisoner would even think about escaping. You can't just swim out there and ring the bell. It's hundreds of miles out at sea. And it appears that you guys do not have a boat."

"We have an enderman." Tyler suggested, pointing back at Burt.

"No, wouldn't work. They can teleport pretty far, but not ocean-crossing far." Burt stood with his arms folded, feeling insulted. "But lucky for you, I don't have a boat either." Lancey got up and motioned for them to come. Confused, they rose and followed him outside. There was a dock positioned on the shore of a bay that fed into the ocean, and parked at this dock was a decent sized wooden ship.

"Lancey, you said you didn't own a boat." Ryan corrected.

"Ah, my young padawan, this is no mere boat. Me and Ian built this back in our hijacking days, and used it to transport our POWs." He brought them aboard, and showed them the holding cells and bombing bays. When Ryan gave a weird look towards the heavy artillery, Lancey explained, "We had a run-in with some purple freaks of nature a while back. Luckily they didn't reach the castle. Now, are we ready to shove off?"

Ryan still did not understand. "We don't have time to sail across the ocean. We need to get there now!"

"And we will, just hold your hippos." Lancey made his way to the helm of the ship and flipped a lever, causing the vessel to shake wildly.

"Lancey, what did you-" Ryan was cut off as the ship rose out of the water and began to soar into the sky.

"Yeehaawww! Take that Archimedes!" Lancey cheered. "I haven't done this in ages!" He steered the ship above the clouds, and looked behind him to see their faces.

"A boat. A flying boat. How in the world…?" Ryan gasped, trying to find the words.

"Don't question it, just go with it." Lancey turned to him and asked, "So, where to Batman?"

"To the prison, on the double." Ryan looked out at open ocean, wondering what could be happening to the team now.

* * *

At the wave of Derp's hand, all of the cell doors flew open. "Everybody line up. And don't even think about escaping, because I'm watching you." As the five of them made a line, they got to see Ian finally, who seemed and felt as nervous as the rest of them.

"Ssundee, who the heck is this guy? He looks just like you! Except for the eyes anyway." Mitch whispered to him.

Ian gulped. "He's my clone."

Jerome sighed. "Well that's a relief. I was worried he was an alien trying to take over the world that took on your form to blend in with society." The others stared blankly at him. "What?"

"Okay quiet!" Derp hushed. "We're going to play Red Light Green Light. Whoever wins will get a surprise."

_I kind of don't want to see this surprise._ Adam thought.

Mitch raised his hand. "Uh, what if the bacca is colorblind?" The comment was ignored as Derp flashed to the other side of the room and called out the first color.

"Green light!" They started running in his direction, but just as they were about halfway, he said, "Red light!" They skidded to a halt, though Mitch lost his balance and stepped forward. Derp began laughing uncontrollably. "Hahahaha! Funny hair is out! Funny hair is out!" He walked over and slapped Mitch with his baton, sending him flying back to the start.

"Hey! No one hits Benja but me!" Jerome growled.

"Oooooh, you moved too!" Derp laughed, beating him as well. The others decided it would be best not to move, and they continued the game. It seemed like Adam and Ty were tied to win, though when Ty sneezed when they were stopped, it was Adam that made it to the end unscathed. "Yay! That was fun. Now the Budder King gets his prize!" Derp summoned a table with a fancy covered platter and swapped his warden hat for a baker's hat. Eagerly, he lifted the cover to reveal a grotesque-looking cake that appeared to have spider eyes instead of cherries. "Okay, eat your cake! The icing isn't really icing, but I'll just leave it on a _knead_ to know basis." Derp offered it to him with a small giggle, feeling very proud of his creation.

Adam though, was disgusted, and made no move towards the table. "I'd rather not."

Derp was confused, and somewhat offended. "Why? Do you know what I had to do to make this cake? D_o you know what I had to do?_"

"I don't want to know!" Adam said, backing away. He was starting to get creeped out by this.

Derp stared at him, his feelings hurt, and suddenly leapt at Adam. "I hate you Sky! I hate you!" He began beating him in a fury. The others tried to intervene, but there was no stopping him.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt..." Derp turned and saw the blue-eyed girl standing in the doorway. He let go of Adam and brushed himself off, embarrassed. The girl cleared her throat and continued. "The squids would like to have a word with you about the next phase in our operation." Derp sighed, putting down his baton and flashing away. She then picked it up and addressed them sternly. "You are to return to your cells immediately, and await further instruction."

"We won't listen to you." Ty laughed. "You're just a girl."

"Um, Ty, I wouldn't go there if I were you." Mitch warned.

The girl suddenly stormed over, her arm morphed into a tentacle, and she slapped him firmly across the face. Ty fell over in obviously more pain than what was given.

"All of you: _into your cells!_" They immediately obeyed without question, dragging Ty along with them into the nearest cell. Pleased, the girl then left, coming back moments later with a beaten and injured Jason. She threw him in along with them, locked it, and left.

"Woah dude, are you okay?" Mitch gasped, looking him over. Jason's helmet was cracked and damaged, along with his jetpack, not to mention how bruised Jason must have felt on the inside.

"I'll...be fine." He said, declining their help and getting to a sitting position.

"What did they do to you?" Adam asked.

Jason took off his helmet and sighed. "They...interrogated me. The squids did. Apparently they thought I knew the most about the team and asked me over and over about the weirdest questions. They roughed me up a lot, but I didn't talk. Then..." Jason paused, as if he was experiencing the event over again.

"What? What happened?" Adam insisted.

"Quentin..." Jason gulped. "They must have done something to him, because he did not seem right. He was the strongest I'd ever seen him. He came in and he attacked me. He forced me to talk." Jason choked up, tears forming in his eyes. "I...told them the location of the budder vault." That vault was the spot where any and all budder that was not being used immediately was stored, to keep safe from squid hands...er, tentacles. They had the vault hidden in a place where the squids would never think to look. And now, they knew. "I'm sorry I betrayed you all." Jason wept.

Ian spoke up. "It's okay dude, you didn't throw us under the bus. I'm sure all of us would've cracked when facing the wrath of an angry Mudkip." There were small giggles among them, and they all agreed likewise.

Jason composed himself. "Thanks guys. You're the best."

Adam didn't blame him for what he did, but his action did create a problem. Now that the squids knew where the budder was at, they would use it against them. The thought of that made him shiver. _Speaking of squids..._

"Hey Ty, are you feeling okay? After that squid girl hit you?" Adam asked.

Ty stretched and casually answered, "Haha, yeah, better now. She was strong for a girl, but that wasn't what made it hurt so bad. It was...well, remember back in the war when the squid king knocked me into the water?" Ty brushed back his hair to show them his other eye, where a dark blue scar ran from his forehead to his cheek. "The girl's tentacle thing must have agitated my scar, so it really stung when she touched me."

"Dang Ty, I never knew..." Adam muttered.

"Eh, it's fine. It didn't seem like a big deal, so I never brought it up."

Talking about these unfortunate topics really lowered the team's spirits, and as they sat in the dark listening to the pounding ocean waves outside, their position seemed bleak.

"Aw, c'mon guys, cheer up!"

Adam glanced around. "Who said that?"

"Oh great, is it my conscience again?" Jerome groaned. "I told you, I promise to lay off the cookies!"

"Haha, I'm not your conscience." A small boy then appeared outside their cell. He wore a white shirt and red checkered jacket with jeans. He had bushy brown hair and bright eyes that shined behind large square glasses. He held a potato in his hand that he had obviously been nibbling on.

"Where'd you come from?" Mitch asked.

"A cell down the hall. Don't worry; I checked the other rooms. It's just you guys in this prison."

"Okay, well what's your name kid?"

The boy looked down at his feet, thinking. "Well...Auntie Janet said not to give your personal information to strangers, especially the government. But you guys are Team Crafted! I guess I'll make an exception this time. My name is Tyler, and I'm your biggest fan!"

"Well, nice to meet you Tyler, I suppose." Jason greeted. "You wouldn't happen to know how to bust us out of here, would you?"

"Oh, definitely!" He set down his potato and pulled a paper clip from his pocket, and began to pick the lock. "Auntie Janet taught me how, just in case I got kidnapped by the government." In a few moments, the door swung open.

"Thanks kid, we owe you one." Adam thanked, petting Tyler's head as they exited the cell. The kid looked at them in awe, not believing what he had just done.

"Okay, we somehow need to find Quentin, and get to the exit." Ty explained.

"I'll go find the Mudkip." Jason volunteered. "I remember seeing him go into a room after he beat me up."

"I'd better come with you then." Adam said. "No offense, but in your condition, you'd be squid chow in seconds." Jason smiled and rolled his eyes.

"I'll go with you guys too. I know this prison like the back of my hand." Ian added with a wink.

The kid spoke up, swallowing a mouthful of potato. "I can help you navigate the halls. They added a couple traps and security cameras."

"Alright, just don't slow us down." Adam nodded. "Ty, Mitch, Jerome; find the exit, and we'll meet up somewhere along the way." The team then split, and the search began.

**So, uh, yeah...that happened. Sorry to cut it off so suddenly; I kinda lost track of how long it was getting. I kind of based this off of Cops and Robbers, if you didn't catch the millions of hints. By the way, the girl's name is Whitney, and she'll be more important in the chapters to come.**

**But until then, keep those reviews coming! They really do help keep the creative juices flowing, whether it be inspiration for the next chapter, or motivation for getting me off my lazy butt to continue typing. Let me know what you liked, what I should include, etc. A writer is only as good as his editor! Alright, see you later! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:**

**Dear gosh, has it really been like four months since I last posted? Man, I feel bad.**

**You can find some of the funniest synonyms for common words in a Thesaurus. I used a couple when trying to find a word besides 'confused'. I mean, befuddled, discombobulated, flummoxed? Who was in that naming committee?**

**Anyway, sorry for the wait. I have determined that taking all honors and AP courses is a prolonged form of torture. Combine that with all of the marching band practices this fall, and you pretty much kiss your social life goodbye (not that I had one to start with). Hopefully this eventful chapter will make up for it!**

**I have a few announcements to make. First, I have a poll going on my profile. It's pretty simple: who is your favorite character in these stories? If you want, drop by my page and let me know! I really do appreciate it! Second, you guys might have to wait a bit longer for the next chapter to appear, unfortunately, because of the before mentioned classes and things. Lastly, shoutout to Cassidy Deneau for making a 'camo' appearance! (I really need to stop with the puns. Ian has cursed me!)**

**Ch. 6**

It was early dawn when Nicki, dressed in her usual green and brown general uniform, resumed her post outside the budder vault. It was an impressive structure, with heavy iron doors and multiple levels of vaults underground, all built into the side of a mountain. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Nicki slung her quiver over her shoulder and stood on the right side of the doors, bow in hand, with her partner Captain Sparkles on her left.

"Good morning General. Sleep well?" He greeted, his eyes shining behind his red-rimmed shades. Being the General's aide and assistant, he took his job very seriously, but still managed to maintain a bright and cheery attitude that was refreshing.

Nicki stretched and smiled back. "Alright I suppose, but I keep feeling more and more restless each day. Like some kind of insomnia curse."

"It might be the changing of the seasons." He suggested with a shrug.

"I guess so." Nicki nodded, though felt deep down that something was different, off in some way. A beeping then came from her headset. "What in the Aether..."

An automated voice chimed in their ears. "Vault 15 on B2 has been opened without authorization."

_An intruder?_ "Stay here and keep watch!" She raced inside and down the stairs, her sturdy leather boots echoing down the long halls.

Nicki soon reached the floor where the alarm was sounding, and found a girl inside the open vault. Seeing Nicki storm in, she straightened up. It was one of her recruits, an inexperienced newbie named Jewel, dressed in her training gear, a brown shirt and green pants, though she was disobeying the dress code by wearing a pink hoodie.

Nicki sighed, relieved that it wasn't an actual emergency, but disappointed with her all the same. "Recruit, what are you doing in here?"

"Seeing what the walls would look like if they were painted in camo." Jewel replied casually, twirling a brush in one hand and holding a paint can in the other.

"Jewel, when are you going to learn to grow up? When you joined this division, did you think you could get away with slacking off?"

"I thought I could get a free ride to see Sky in person..." She replied in a smartalic tone.

"Well listen here, it is the duty of the Sky Army to govern and protect the citizens of Minecraft, and that includes keeping budder out of the squid's reach! Can you imagine what would happen if they got a hold of any of this?" Nicki asked sternly, pointing to the stacks of budder blocks around them.

Jewel rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Why do we even need to guard budder? Aren't diamonds more rare and expensive?"

Nicki was going to say something, but instead she pulled out her budder sword. As she held it in her hand, it began to glow and sparkle with energy. Concentrating hard, Nicki pointed it at the wall, and a small bolt of lightning shot out, causing the lights to flicker.

"Woah! How did you _do_ that?" Jewel gasped in awe, looking at the dark spot on the wall where the bolt had struck.

Nicki put the sword back in its sheath and grinned. "Sky himself taught me. The squids don't even know about it. Maybe when you are more experienced, you can learn to wield budder to its full potential."

"Wow, I'll train really hard so you can teach me!" Giddy with excitement, Jewel scampered away.

Before she could feel satisfied with her work, her headset began to beep again, only it indicated that someone was trying to communicate. "Hello?"

"Nicki!" It was Cpt. Sparkles, who sounded out of breath and panicked. "Mayday! We're under attack!"

"_What?_ Seriously? Okay, I'm on my way!" How could their location have been compromised in such a remote area? The vault was built in the depths of the mountains, in the same range where Kermit's pond was located. No one knew of the its whereabouts except for a select few, the members of Team Crafted. Had someone leaked the information? _No._ She shook her head._ I refuse to believe that._

Regardless, Nicki made her way as fast as she could back up to the doors, but when she opened them, she couldn't believe her eyes. Flying squids filled the sky from all sides, and Sparkles was struggling to hold them back without getting blown away from their fireballs. Even with their combined efforts, they hardly made a difference in reducing their numbers; they just kept coming. Soon, the two were pressed against the doors, cornered, as the squids gathered around. But before they made their final blow, two squids floated down, carrying an individual. It was the blue-eyed girl, looking very confident, and when they set her down, Nicki exclaimed, "Whitney?!"

"You _know_ her?" Cpt. Sparkles gasped.

Nicki nodded, devastated. "She's my sister."

* * *

Adam, Jason, Ian, and Tyler crept silently along through the halls, sneaking past security cameras as they went.

"The crew quarters are on the second floor." Ian whispered to them. But when they found the stairs, a tall wall stood before them. A sign was posted on the wall, stating, 'Permission to use stairs needed from warden's office.'

"Oh great..." Adam groaned. This would be harder than he thought. They soon found the office, a short walk down the hall, and peeked through the window, where Derp Ssundee was boredly spinning in his chair, looking at the necklace he had around his neck._ My amulet…_ Adam decided that getting it back wasn't important now, and that their first priority was escaping with their lives. On the wall beside Derp was a button that read: STAIR ACCESS.

"We'll need to create a distraction to get him out of the office." Jason said to them.

"Leave that to me." Tyler said, pulling out another potato. Turning it over, it was revealed to have a pull string on it, and when he pulled it off, he chucked it across the hallway towards the library. "You guys might want to hide."

They retreated towards the kitchen, and heard an explosion go off. Sure enough, this got the attention of Derp, and he left to investigate the library, giving them the chance to run in and push the button. It began to tick, however, and Ian realized, "It's on a timer! Go go go!" When they went back to the stairs, the steps had risen from the floor and up to the next level. "We've only got a few seconds. Hurry!" Ian ushered them forward, and they scaled the stairs as fast as their legs could carry them. But just as Ian was on the last steps, the stairs retracted. The others were not fast enough to grab him, and could only watch as Ian fell back down to the floor.

"Ian!" Adam called. "Are you okay?"

He got up slowly, and nodded, looking up at them. "Yeah, go on ahead. I'll catch up!" Reluctantly, they continued on. Ian turned to hurry back to the office.

The three started to search the various vacant rooms. Eventually, they found one with a single glass case labelled 'Fish'. A blue pokeball was sitting inside it, shaking this way and that as if agitated.

"That's him alright." Jason confirmed, shivering slightly. "Let's just take him inside the pokeball for now. You know, until we can fix him." Adam nodded and put the ball in his pocket._ Don't worry Quentin, we'll find a way to change you back._

* * *

"All hands on deck! We're coming in for landing!" Lancey called from behind the steering wheel. Bash, Ryan, Steven, and Tyler were roughly awakened as the ship jerked down in descent.

Tyler gulped, looking through the clouds at the approaching prison. "It...seems bigger than it did on the blueprints." The spotlights on the watch towers lit up the courtyards and walls surrounding the facility, but the darkness around them hid the ship as it came smoothly down on the roof.

Lancey left the wheel and turned to the group. "So, what's the plan?" They all looked at Ryan expectantly.

"Oh, um, well...I'm honestly kind of surprised we made it this far. But, I think we'd better lay low and not draw a lot of attention until we find out where the guys are. Then, we bust them out and run like a bat out of the Nether."

"Roger that." Lancey agreed. "And I'll stay here and watch the ship." He handed Ryan a diamond pickaxe and added, "You might need this."

"Thanks." Ryan faced the three of them and ordered, "Okay, let's move out!"

* * *

After Tyler's potato grenade went off, squid guards from all corners of the prison gathered in the main hallway. With Ty, Mitch, and Jerome still in the cell room, they tried to find any possible escape, preferably before they would be discovered. They scaled the stairs that led to the second level of cells, but didn't find any tell-tale signs.

"You know, they really should put some exit signs in this place. You can get fines for this kind of stuff." Ty sighed. Suddenly, the ceiling blocks above them began to crack. Getting out of the way, they saw the cracks get bigger rhythmically, as if they were being struck by something. Eventually, they finally crumbled and fell to the ground. Confused, they looked up at the now revealed night sky. A man in a batman mask popped out, and smiled.

"Sweet! We found them!" Three other people poked their heads in as well. "And they already escaped!"

"Who are you guys?" Ty asked, not sure if he should be relieved or cautious.

"That doesn't matter right now. What does, is that we're here to rescue you! Where are the others?" Ryan answered, looking around.

"They went to go find Quentin." Mitch answered, flustered. Who were these guys? Could they be trusted?

"Okay, well let's get you guys out of here then. But how to do that…?"

Bashur's expression lit up. "Oh! I got it! Just give me a sec." He went away from them for a moment, and held out his hands towards the ground. A purple energy began to form around them, and a rope ladder suddenly materialized in front of him.

"...what...how?" Ryan stammered. He just kept learning more and more about this strange melon.

"When Master Seto created me, he gave me most of his powers. How do you think I got all of these sweet hats?" He likewise created a fedora and put it on, crossing his arms with swagger.

"_What_? So we could have technically just teleported here?"

"I said _most_, not all, ya dingus. Now don't we have a rescue mission to finish?"

"Oh, right." Ryan took the ladder and went back to the hole, where the three team members still stood, befuddled. "Here you go! Climb on up!" The three made no move towards it though.

"We can't get out of here yet. What about the others?" Ty countered. _Plus, how do we know they aren't squid spies?_ He added silently.

Before they could respond, Ian came running into the cell room, and seeing the others on the stairs, went to join them. "Hey doods! I got separated from the other three back there, but they should be getting here soon...wait...who are you guys?"

Bashur sighed in frustration. "Once everyone's here, we'll be happy to explain our full life stories in detail, but for now can we just focus on getting the freak out?"

"Well said." Ian nodded. "Well, you heard the talking watermelon; let's go!"

* * *

Adam, Jason, and Tyler, with Quentin in tow, made their way through the hall towards what they assumed to be the way to the exit. To their right, there was a door that led to an outdoor basketball court, but in front of them was a raised staircase leading to a door, with a sign next to it that said: 'Totally Not the Way Out'.

"Squids are so stupid." Jason laughed, hopping up and opening the iron door. Since Tyler was short, Adam had to give him a boost before climbing up himself.

Going through, it appeared that they were back in the cell room, but this time on a long passage, almost like a catwalk, that stretched above everything. At the end of it was a door.

"Hey, check it out." Adam noticed a gaping hole in the ceiling with a rope ladder hanging out of it. "Well, that's convenient." Climbing up, coincidentally, there was the rest of the team, talking with an odd-looking group.

"Finally, what took you three so long?" Ryan said impatiently. "Oh well, doesn't matter. To the flying boat!" Seeing as they had no other choice, the group followed them to where Lancey was waving at them from the wheel.

"What's up my homie?" Lancey greeted, patting Ian on the back as he climbed on. Once everyone had boarded, he fired up the ship once again, and they were now officially escaped without a scratch (well, some with more than scratches). It took them a few moments to comprehend what had just occurred, but they soon were jolted back to the reality of this new war they faced.

Ryan sighed, ready to now explain how they had gotten to this point. "Okay, so it all started when…"

_A long time of repeating backstory later…_

"So let me get this straight." Ty summarized. "Batman, Robin in a miner's cap, a dude that never talks who has two mobs stalking him all the time, and a talking watermelon get chased by a ninja pig, stuck in a mansion with freakin' Pewdiepie, and finally find a castle made of meat that apparently Lancey and Ian built back when they hijacked villages, and you guys flew out to the prison and picked us up on a flying boat."

"Well, when you put it that way, it sounds pretty ridiculous." Ryan commented. "It did take a great deal of power moves though."

"Wait, you know about power moves?" Mitch interrupted, him and the bacca suddenly intrigued.

"_Know_ about them? Please, I'm like the _Godfather_ of power moves!"

Mitch and Jerome were baffled. "Shoot, I'm the Pope, and Mitch is the Duke! We could be like the Power Move Squad or something!" The three laughed like it was the most hysterical thing in the world.

"Okay, wait." Mitch stopped. "Do you play Hunger Games?"

"Are you kidding? You're looking at the reigning champion of my village's annual HG tournament." Ryan stated with a bit of pride.

"GG son! Welcome to the club!" From that point on, Ryan hung out with them as if they had been friends all along.

_Later that night..._

Lancey had parked the non-sea farring vessel in a secluded valley that was, for the most part, out of sight. The reason for the location was because they did not trust going back to any of their bases anymore, seeing how that was how they were captured in the first place. There was too much of a risk for an attack.

Outside, under the low light of a campfire, Jason was kneeling over a small circular metal object on the ground. Jerome looked over his shoulder and asked him, "What're you doing?"

"Trying to hook up a call with Einshine." Jason pushed a button that was on the side. "It should be ringing now on his end. Hopefully he's still at Ian's lab."

"What is that thing?"

"It's kind of like...well...you've seen Star Wars right?"

"Yeah? Is that even a question?"

"You know those little blue flashy things they used to talk to each other?"

"Oh, the graham crackers?"

"Holograms. I duplicated the projector technology, and they work pretty much the same way." The light blinked, indicating an incoming call. "Oh, oh! It's working!" Jason cheered. "Hey everyone! Come over here!"

They all crowded around the little device. The light in the center flickered on, and a small blue hologram in the shape of Einshine appeared.

"Woah! Guys?! Thank goodness you're okay!" Shine's voice came through. "When that clone went away with Ian, I went to find help, but everyone was gone, and I just didn't know what to do..." He trailed off, sniffling.

"It's okay Shine; we're all fine." Ty laughed.

"I wouldn't say that." Shine composed himself and picked up a newspaper. "Things have been pretty crazy around here since you've been gone. The squids raided the budder vault and took the Sky Army captive!"

Adam was speechless. _Nicki, Jordan, and the others...? What could be happening to them now?_

"Uh oh...this is bad, this is bad, this is really really _bad_!" The younger Tyler panicked.

"Calm down Tyler; we can figure this out." Adam said, but doubted himself as he said it. "So our problem is this: Derp Ssundee. The squids have him convinced that he's working for the right side, so persuading him to join us would be nonsense at this point." Ian shook his head in agreement. "What do we already know about him?"

"He has the mental capacity of a eight-year-old." Ty put in.

"He has an incredible amount of psychic powers, kind of like Herobrine." Jason stated. "And we certainly can't take him on. We're just not that powerful."

"Then what should we do about it?" The older Tyler thought out loud. "If we don't stop him, who knows how much damage he will cause."

"Do you think we could get Herobrine to help us?" Jerome suggested, looking towards tiny Einshine.

Shine shook his head. "I don't think so. He doesn't like getting involved with mortal problems."

"Well, that's a bummer." Mitch muttered.

"I think our first move should be rescuing the Sky Army members." Adam said. "But we don't have any leads on that either..."

"Oh! I remember finding something when I was in the warden's office." Ian suggested, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. It read the following:

_Alendport Prison STATUS REPORT: All prisoners successfully secured. Some appear rebellious and uncooperative, but proper consequences have been administered to keep order. Interrogations have been without result, but will continue as planned. Requesting permission to begin the Last Measure._ The rest of the paper had been torn off.

"'Last Measure'?" Ryan repeated. "What's that?"

"Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good…" The older Tyler gulped.

"W-what're we going to do?' The younger added worriedly.

"I think I may be able to help." Emerging slowly from the shadows was a purple cloaked figure, who was none other than Setosorcerer. His eyes were down, as if he was ashamed. He flipped down his hood and looked at them with a burdened expression. "If you'll have me."

There was a silence for a long time, until Adam stepped out of their circle and went to him.

Seto stammered, "I-I'm so sor-"

Adam stopped him. "Don't even say it. You don't need to apologize. It's great to have you back." Adam pulled him in for a hug, and Seto tearfully returned it.

"Master!" Bashur exclaimed, making his way to the sorcerer. "Did I do good?"

Seto smiled and nodded. "Yes, great job Bashur."

"Do I get a present? Hmmm?" The melon begged.

"I suppose..." Seto thought for a moment, then summoned a small gray dog with a magenta collar.

"_A PUPPY?_ You're the greatest master ever!" Bash picked it up and cradled it. "I think I'll name it Pewface."

Getting back to business, they began to brainstorm what they could do. Alendport Prison seemed to be a topic of interest, but none of them had ever heard of such a place.

"Wait, what if we're thinking about this the wrong way?" Ryan mused, going into the ship and coming back with a pen and paper. "What if the name itself is a clue?" He wrote out 'ALENDPORT', then tore the paper so that each letter was a separate piece. Thinking, Ryan proceeded to drag the first two letters, AL, to the end of the word. He was left with this: ENDPORTAL. "Coincidence? I don't think so."

Ian smirked a little, nodding. "That's pretty smart."

"But, if that's the location of this other prison, then..." Adam trailed off, his face growing pale. There was only one known location of the End Portal, and that was the infamous underground stronghold. The same stronghold where AntVenom had died long ago. Shaking off the memory, he turned to his sorcerer friend. "Seto, we're going to need a lot of invisibility potions."

"Right away!" Seto walked off briskly and began setting up brewing stations. "Bashur, come."

"Yay! C'mon Pewface, we're gonna make inviso-juice!"

"Adam? What are you planning?" Ty asked, marveling in that look of determination in his friend's eyes.

"The squids think that they can get away with capturing us _and_ our friends. Let's take back what they stole, and raid _their_ base!" At the word 'raid' the PMS trio cheered. With everyone together working towards this goal, it seemed that they were unstoppable.

But, what they didn't know, was that a squid/human hybrid stood watching them from behind a tree, and chuckled to himself as he slipped quietly into a pool of water. _Silly Team Crafted_. _They think it's that easy. They think they have it all figured out._ He pulled out a phone (water-proof, of course) and made a call using one of his tentacle appendages.

"Yes?" A deep voice answered.

"It's me, Lord Derpington, your lowly servant Fawkes. They have found our location. Do I have permission to proceed?"

"Yes...keep following them, and report any details immediately."

"Will do." Fawkes hung up, and smiled to himself. _They have no idea that a spy is just under their noses. _


End file.
